bright as burnished copper; her eye-brows were fair, and bosom was deep.  Indeed, she resembled the veritable daughter of a celestial born among men.  Her body gave out fragrance like that of a blue lotus, perceivable from a distance of full two miles.  Her beauty was such that she had no equal on earth.  Like a celestial herself, she could be desired (in marriage) by a celestial, a Danava, or a:  Yaksha.  When this girl of fair hips was born an incorporeal voice said, ’This dark-complexioned girl will be the first of all women, and she will be the cause of the destruction of many Kshatriyas.  This slender-waisted one will, in time, accomplish the purpose of the gods, and along with her many a danger will overtake the Kauravas.’  On hearing these words, the Panchalas uttered a loud leonine roar, and the earth was unable to bear the weight of that joyous concourse.  Then beholding the boy and the girl, the daughter-in-law of Prishata, desiring to have them, approached Yaja and said, ‘Let not these know any one else except myself as their mother.’  Yaja, desiring to do good unto the king said, ‘So be it!’ Then the Brahmanas (present there), their expectations fully gratified, bestowed names upon the new-born pair, ’Let this son of king Drupada, they said, be called Dhrishtadyumna, because of his excessive audacity and because of his being born like Dyumna with a natural mail and weapon.’  And they also said, ’Because this daughter is so dark in complexion, she should be called Krishna (the dark).’

“The Brahmana continued, ’Thus were born those twins of the great sacrifice of Drupada.  And the great Drona, bringing the Panchala prince into his own abode, taught him all weapons in requital of half the kingdom he had formerly taken from Drupada.  The high-souled son of Bharadwaja, regarding destiny to be inevitable, did what would perpetuate his own great deeds.’”

SECTION CLXX

(Chaitraratha Parva continued)

“Vaisampayana said, ’Hearing these words of the Brahmana, the sons of Kunti seemed to be, as it were, pierced with darts.  Indeed, all those mighty heroes lost their peace of mind.  Then the truthful Kunti, beholding all her sons listless and inattentive, addressed Yudhishthira and said, ’We have now lived many nights in the abode of this Brahmana.  We have passed our time pleasantly in this town, living on the alms obtained from many honest and illustrious persons.  O oppressor of foes, as we have now seen often and often all the agreeable woods and gardens that are in this part of the country, seeing them again would no longer give any pleasure.  O heroic scion of Kuru’s race, alms also are not now obtainable here as easily as before.  If thou wishest it would be well for us now to go to Panchala; we have not seen that country, it will, no doubt, O hero, prove delightful to us.  O crusher of foes, it hath been heard by us that alms are obtainable in the country of the Panchala, and that Yajnasena, the king thereof, is devoted to Brahmanas.  I am of opinion that it is not good to live long in one place.  Therefore, O son, if thou likest, it is good for us to go there.’